Chapter 13
When Robin returns, not alone, the annoyance Regina feels only triples at the the sight of Rumplestiltskin. She should have known Robin would not just stand idly by until she could heal herself.
"Well deary, I hear you have some injuries in need of mending." Rumple questions, walking smugly through the tent before standing in front of her. To this man, she refuses to show her weaknesses, and she meets his eyes with a distrustful gaze, a stiff lip before moving her eyes to Robin, hoping he can feel the daggers she throws with her eyes. "I don't have all day." Rumple throws in, irritation coloring his voice, "I'm offering my services at Henry's request."
"Fine." Regina sighs in exasperation before sending one more glare toward Robin and turning her back to the men, the injury on her shoulder visible. "Lower the zipper more," she speaks over her shoulder, "I have another injury to my side." Robin's footfalls fill her ears as he moves closer, standing just beside Rumple, and although she is not happy that he took her wellbeing into his own hands, she is comforted by his close presence and grateful that he cares.
The touch laid on her skin is cautious, tentative even, and soon she can feel magic pressing through her, passing through layers of skin and muscle, threading and weaving it into repair. His hands are removed as soon as she feels the last bit of her injuries disappear, being healed, and although the lack of pain is welcome, the lack of sensation is not. The pain made her feel alive, was a welcome distraction from her predicament, but now, the mess before them is clear as day.
"So what is happening out there?" She asks, turning around, gesturing towards the tent flap with a hesitant gaze.
"You are missing the meet and greet, deary." Rumple states sarcastically, nonchalantly waving his hand, conjuring a chair for him to sit while he continues, "Our rescue party has been relaying the details of our...situation, to their younger selves. Trying to alleviate the rising nerves caused by our presence." His eyes shift around the tent, and Regina never has been able to read him well. She has always been aware and mindful of that fact.
Robin moves to stand beside her, placing his hand to the small of her back, lending her comfort, support, whatever she deem necessary to take. She tries not to let his thumb, the one tracing the bare skin of her back, distract her from the topic at hand.
"No doubt the presence of the dark one and the evil queen is fueling the rising tensions." Regina implies, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively.
"On the contrary. You seem to have them quite convinced you can be trusted." Rumple's lips lift into a smirk, "Or, at least you have a certain outlaw quite convinced, and since he is the leader of most of those rejects…" Rumple does not finish his statement at the glare sent to him by Robin beside her. "Well, lets just say, they seem willing to help, rather than kill us."
"And do you think they can help us?" She eagerly questions because if anyone always has a plan, something up his sleeve, it is the man sitting before her.
"Perhaps. They are deliberating as we speak. We'll see what comes of it" Regina can tell that he has a thought, something he is holding back, and she will let him for now. She will wait, see what they come up with before demanding more answers from Rumple.
"I suppose I shall take my leave," he rises from the chair, his gaze meeting Robin before finding Regina, "I heard talk of food being prepared. You should eat something, deary. Regain your strength, you'll need it."
Robin escorts the older man to the tent flap, holding it up for Rumple to make his exit. Regina turns toward the chair, her back facing Robin as she lifts her hands, palms face up, inspecting them curiously.
"I did not need him to do that. I'll have use of my own magic soon enough. As soon as this stupid root leaves my system." Regina says flicking her fingers, watching sparks ignite before dimming out of existence.
A frustrated scowl marrs her features as she makes attempt after attempt of calling forth her magic until she feels Robin's calloused hands rest on her shoulders before smoothing down her arms, taking her hands in his and pausing her ministrations. The scowl on her face immediately morphs into a sly grin. The way the simplest touch of his fingers to her skin has her body tingling with desire makes her wonder what else those fingers could make her feel, or if she could even survive the extent of sensations he could cause. She imagines he can probably sense the direction her thoughts have taken, but she doesn't have to ask whether his have traveled a similar road. His next statement is answer enough.
"True. I have no doubt how capable you are." he states reassuringly, wrapping her arms and body in a tight embrace. "But...If he did not heal you, then I would not feel comfortable putting you through any," Robin nuzzles his nose into her neck and hair before continuing, "activities that could cause you further injury. And right now, I'm not sure I'm capable of holding back from said activities." Regina spins around in his arms until she is facing him, looking up with a smile. Without her heels she is so much shorter, and she welcomes the warmth and protection she feels being held in his strong arms, staring up into his eyes.
"Then I guess you can be forgiven," she responds, bringing her hand to his chest, allowing her fingers to walk a path up to the top button of his shirt, fiddling there, "as long as you don't hold back that is."
Robin does not disappoint, taking hold of her with the passion both have been containing for weeks. Every ounce of desire and want bubbles to the surface between them, and Regina feels like a teenager, feels out of control, because she cannot remember the last time she felt her body demand the touch of another so strongly. She thinks the answer is never.
His hands grip her hips tightly pulling her body into his, morphing the two as much as possible with cloth barriers present between them, something Regina is hoping to rid them both of quickly. His mouth smashes on hers and it feels messy, full of uncontained want, and she does not mind it one bit because she asked him not to hold back. His tongue finds her open lips before teasingly searching her mouth, dueling with her own in unrestrained intensity.
Her arms wrap around his neck of their own accord and she runs her fingers through his hair, holding his mouth steady to hers, and she is not sure she ever wants to let him remove it from her lips, but then he lowers it to her chin, then her jaw, and she decides she can live with this, she can allow it because, damn, he can do things to her with that mouth, with that tongue, and it feels amazing as he finds an especially sensitive spot just below her earlobe.
The ripples of pleasure surging through her have her hips thrusting into his, moving reflexively with desire, and when she feels his own need for her, solid and sturdy against her hipbone, wet heat pools between her legs as he moans against her neck. She wants this, wants him, has for ages, so she will take him, she will take him right here in this tent because he wants her just as badly, and she cannot think about anything else.
"Robin." Just a whisper escapes her mouth. Her hand moves back to his chest, then back up, scraping her nails across his clavicle until she finds his jaw and forces his mouth back to hers. She greedily devours his lips, her hand tugging lightly at his hair, nails leaving marks on his scalp, hips continually rocking against him. He allows her assault on his mouth, succumbs to her tongue's maneuvers, while launching his own assault with his hands. He begins groping, gripping, and exploring every bend of her body, moving from the curve of her ass up to the peak of her breast, his thumb gliding over her nipple causing it to stiffen instantly while the other hand finds the exposed skin of her back, her zipper still lowered.
A moan escapes into their joined mouths, and she can't be sure if it originated from her or him, but either way, the sound drowns out everything around them, so neither of them hear the opening of the tent flap, neither of them notice that they are no longer alone.
Someone clears their throat, and Regina opens her eyes confused, because she is almost certain the noise did not come from Robin, and absolutely sure it did not come from her. They move apart swiftly, faces flushed, lips swollen, eyes searching for the source of the sound. Shock overtakes her expression as she finds herself staring directly at Robin, not 'her' Robin, but 'past' Robin, his expression mirroring her own with his jaw dropped and eyes wide.